Quintessentially New York
by halliwelldream
Summary: An extension of episode 10, "Sleeping Beauty." What happens after Mick and Beth part ways? Please let me know what you think!
1. Chapter 1

"Is that a cure? I don't know… I can't say." _But Josef Konstantine, in love. With a mortal no less! _As far as Mick was concerned, that was as good as a yes.

He raised his hand suddenly. "Taxi!" Impulsively, he turned to Beth, barely able to contain his excitement at the night's revelation. "Come on. Let's go do something."

She trailed after him, looking at him incredulously. "Like what?"

"I don't know," Mick replied honestly. The night felt full of possibilities. "Something fun… something quintessentially New York. We'll catch a set at the Village Vanguard, a couple of martinis. A steak for the lady. Just me and you, on the town; come on."

"I don't know," Beth said as they rushed to catch the taxi. "But our flight leaves in a couple of hours."

"So we'll take a later flight," he countered, holding the door open for her.

_Yes, let's_, Beth wanted to say. But she couldn't help but think of Josh. "Look, I don't know…" Beth slid her hands over Mick's, averting her eyes. "I… I didn't leave things very well with Josh and I do think I need to get home."

_Josh._ Mick felt his mind scattering in multiple directions. "Yeah, of course." He shook his head at his own stupidity, hoping, _hoping_, that the disappointment in his eyes didn't show.

"But I'll drop you," Beth offered inclining her head toward the taxi.

"No, it's okay. I'll walk… it's a good town for it." He finally glanced back at her.

"Okay." This time, she looked away. She climbed into the taxi and stared out at him, even after he had closed the door for her.

Mick mustered a small smile and placed his hand against the window in farewell.

Beth smiled briefly in return and aligned her hand with his. _I'm sorry_, she thought.

Slowly, Mick walked away, letting his hand skim the surface of the window until the taxi started, causing his hand to fall to his side. He tried not to think about what the night could've been and instead, focused his mind on Josef and Sara. They had loved this city; perhaps he could come to love it too.


	2. Chapter 2

Beth leaned back against the taxi seat and closed her eyes. Hard as she tried not to think about him, flashes of previous conversations with Mick played in her mind.

_"I want you to admit something happened between us!" … "You do realize that I'm a vampire?"_

_… "Now you know why it can never work."_

_"All I know is, ever since I met you, I stopped using the word never."_

_Never_. Beth contemplated the word. It was a lot like forever—using either word imposed such a sense of finality; it was almost ominous. And both words described Mick so well—everything with him was never or forever; there was no middle ground. But tonight, something had shifted. He had stopped running, stopped pulling away.

_I pulled away._ She had told Mick she needed to patch things up with Josh but that was a lie. Josh had jumped to her mind but her pulling away had had nothing to do with him. Not really, anyway. It was just… she had never _realized_ the hundred million little things that could go wrong in a vampire-human relationship. It had almost been like finding out that Mick was a vampire all over again. She needed time to process it, to really let it sink in, she reasoned. _You're just as bad as Mick,_ Beth scolded herself. She was in New York, the city she had fantasized about as a little girl. Why _shouldn't_ she have fun? It was just an innocent night out—she had nothing to prove to Josh.

Beth reached into her coat pocket and fumbled around until her fingers closed around her phone. She pulled it out slowly, grip tightening increasingly as she did. She scrolled through her contacts and hesitated momentarily, thumb hovering above the screen, before she hit dial.

"Hey… Josh?"


	3. Chapter 3

Mick walked down the street, hands shoved lightly in his pockets. He was lost in thought, Beth's message replaying in his mind yet again. "_Meet me at the corner of Sixth and 42__nd__,"_ she had said. He had tried to protest but she wouldn't let him. _"Hurry."_ Then she had hung up. His first thought was that she had run into trouble but when he replayed the conversation in his mind, it had been enough to assure him otherwise. _She's changed her mind… chosen you over Josh,_ a voice in his head whispered. But he didn't dare hope.

When he reached the end of the block, Mick looked up at the street signs. 6th Ave, 42nd St. So where was Beth? He searched for her more carefully and finally saw her on the next block. She looked so small, so vulnerable. He hurried across the street, just as the lights changed. Immediately, cars honked at him, drawing attention from nearby pedestrians, Beth included.

"Mick!" She sounded relieved. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't show."

"Even vampires know better than to stand a lady up if she's waiting for you on the streets of New York."

Beth laughed and though it was her usual laugh, Mick thought he detected a hint of nervousness mixed in with her scent. He stiffened. Was something wrong after all?

"Shouldn't you be at the airport?"

"I was on my way," Beth admitted. "But I realized I couldn't leave New York yet. Not without a night out with my favorite vampire."

Mick's breath caught. "What about Josh?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm a big girl. Josh knows that. Besides, he knows not to expect me. I called to tell him that we wouldn't be able to make our flight."

"Beth…" For a split second, Mick closed his eyes. The words seemed suddenly stuck in his throat, unwilling to come out. "I don't want… I don't want to make things worse between you and Josh. He's a good guy; you should fix your thing with him."

Beth huffed impatiently. "For goodness sakes, Mick! Could you, for once, just _stop_ being so noble and just do what _you_ want to do?!"

Despite being the one who had initiated the argument, Mick smiled. "It's been a long time since I've _really_ had fun," he conceded wistfully.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Beth stepped in front of him effectively closing the distance between them as well as making Mick dizzy with her scent. "This is what I want, Mick; you don't have to doubt that. For one night, I just want to forget everything and have _fun_. With you." She tilted her head slightly upwards and pressed her lips softly against his.

Without thinking, Mick relaxed and leaned into the kiss, wanting more. But Beth pulled back, smiling mischievously. "Come on." She turned and slipped her hand into his, tugging slightly. "If we're going to do everything you promised, we'd better get started."

"We'd better," Mick agreed, not caring anymore about what was wrong and what was right. Just being with Beth was all that mattered, all that he needed. He knew he had a ridiculous grin on his face, but for once, it didn't matter. And when Beth glanced back at him, he didn't try to hide it from her—his smile only broadened.


End file.
